Andy & His Half Clogged Brain

4

Past

"That would be $15 dollars"

I hand her the money in exchange for the bill and the bag of items. The soda cans clink inside the bag as I make my way out . Initially the plan had been to stay inside the clustered apartment and maybe give my mom a callback but all it took was an invitation from Jerry to push aside the already written down agendas for the day.

Im not even inside his apartment but the blaring music makes me feel sorry for his neighbours . I press the doorbell and do not lift my finger from the button in the thought that he might not be able to hear it over the music. My finger is lifted from the button when I see the door opening and take a closer step towards it cause its not Jerry who opened it . No words are exchanged between us , its the back of her body and her receding form which one might say is an indication of come in.

The drapes are pulled covering the only window in the room and the sports channel is put on mute. The room has a horrible smell as if every particle of air in the room is polluted and impure. The dimly lit room gives my eyes a hard time to adjust but when they do the first thing they see is her .

"My man, how have you been", Jerry slides his arm around my shoulder when he notices a new figure in the room.

"And you brought gifts", he says while snatching the bag from my right hand ,opening it and views its contents.

"Soda just what I need", he puts them aside, forgetting about its existence now that they were out of his sight and onto his new findings

"Meet Sofia my girlfriend", its hard to believe Jerrys statement when theres no recognition of such sort in Sofias eyes.

The whole day is spend in a frenzy and in the company of an angst football fan. She doesnt try to make conversation and mostly keeps to herself. Maybe now that I was actually grasping the situation it would be clear to anyone with eyes that Sofia strangeness or awkwardness , results in an intoxicated Jerry.

"Jerry I should probably leave, I have work tomorrow". I take the incoherent mumbling coming from his mouth as a yes. Before leaving I cover his lower body with a blanket, open the windows and lock the door behind me. The set of keys jingle in my hand as I loop them around my finger. Returning the next day to give him his keys would be hectic so I lower myself on the ground , adjusting myself on my knees and elbows , eye the small gap between the door and the floor and shove his keys right back in.

The dry paint on the walls of the staircase give the building an edgy look that makes me take quicker steps in this dark night.

At the entrance of the building seeing someones silhouette before there physical self does nothing to calm my light heart. Steadying it I move forward to rest beside her.

"You scared me back there", I say jokingly. She looks at me, to reply and if only I could have noticed the signs of familiarity.

"Didnt mean to".She doesnt take a step forward to go anywhere which makes me think whether she would be heading back into the apartment

"If youre thinking of going back , Im sorry but I already locked it . I thought you had left for home and Jerry couldn't even move a muscle in his current state and now I dont even have the keys". She again looks at me

"Dont fret yourself Im not going back in there"

"Okay then. See you next time". I start to walk but my initial speed is quite low . I dont want to miss any comments that might be left unheard by me but being pleasant was not in her nature. The situation demanded for me to be the bigger man so I head back to her.

"Why are you still standing here?", I ask her.

"Its going to rain soon , Im waiting here as I was not planning to drench myself".Whether the statement holds mystery or comedy was confusing for me , so I say

"Well the sky looks clear to me so Ill get going". With that being said I finally departure from there. But few blocks away I start to feel uneasy so without thinking it through I return back to her.

"Why dont you go away at once?", she asks me politely upon seeing that I was back, again

"I dont know". I reply honestly. During the whole day this was the first time I saw her smile. She extends her hand for a formal handshake

"I'm Sofia" .Even the pitter-patter of the rain which followed behind couldn't rust the first memory I have of her.

A few raindrops and the clouds were already empty. During this time what I got to know about Sofia are as follows:-

1.She moved from the city to this town when all of it had come down to a few dollars in her bank account.

2. She works at Gomanis pub (Jerry also works there).

3.Her grandmother died the previous year just before the start of the winter season( she has hinted -closed proximity with her) (hasnt talked about any other family member).

We have walked a few meters away from the building and are proceeding towards a road which is divided into two lanes up ahead. It could mean the end of the night for both of us. I wouldnt say talking with her has been pleasant , she doesnt offer much about her, our conversation has felt like a questionnaire. One can say she lacks social courtesies as making conversation is something she isnt inclined towards. This intersection makes us stop before I could question her again and she beat me to it this time

"Where you headed to ?",

The road on my left would take me to the Idaho area whereas the one on the right would take me to Oxford. If theres luck on my side maybe Itll take me with her. I tell her my address.

With our backs to the building we keep walking till it disappears behind my vision just like Sofias does.

********

"Get me five copies of this". I pick up the papers from the table

"And get me a black coffee. You should have one to, in preparation of the mess that awaits us".

This week has been quite hectic for all of us at the office, with lost clients, decreasing staff and more work load , things do not look promising. The ringtone of my phone pulls me out of such thoughts and I go to a discreet corner in the office to attend it.

"Wanna watch football?"

"Jerry I am swamped with work today"

"You're loss, hes about to cut the call when I ask"

"Did she come back?"

"I would have already told you if she had", he says. I lower my voice while talking to him, Assessing the current situation of the office , a personal phone call wont be appreciated.

"But dont you think somethings wrong , she hasnt come to work for days". With exasperation in his voice Jerry says

"She called the boss and informed him. Its not wrong to quit a job". Not wanting to hear the rest of it, I cut the call and get back to work.

I slam the doors of the cab shut and step back as it reveres its engine and is of to find a new passenger. My first step in this building feels slick as I failed to see a puddle of water on the floor. I walk past the lift which I havent used since I was thirteen when I discovered that closed compact spaces made me feel nauseous, dizzy, gave me headaches, there was shortage of air and all kinds of symptoms of a panic attack. Stairs to the second floor doesnt sound bad. Upon entering my floor I notice someone standing just outside my door.